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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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PHS Girls' Ice Hockey Hit New Heights; Foundation in Place for More Progress
By Bill Alden
When Blathnaid Mahon started playing with the Princeton High girls' ice hockey team as a freshman four seasons ago, she felt uneasy on the ice against such prep powers as Hill or Morristown-Beard.
As Mahon recently prepared to face Hill in the Mid-Atlantic Prep Girls Hockey League (MAPGHL) playoff for her final high school appearance, she brought an entirely different attitude to the ice.
"Going into Hill, we were pumped up to prove ourselves," said Mahon. "We had never beaten them; we were really excited. We didn't play up to our potential the night before against Mo-Beard. We always see ourselves as underdogs against the prep school teams; they look down on us."
By the end of the contest, it was PHS looking down on Hill as the Little Tigers skated to a stunning 6-1 win to end up second in the league tourney.
"It was a really good way to end our last game," asserted Mahon. "We wanted to go out with a good game. It was one of our best games."
In Mahon's view, the win exemplified the progress PHS made this winter as it ended up establishing a single-season record in wins with its final 12-4-1 mark.
"We lost a lot of good players from last year but we were actually better this year," said Mahon. "We worked together better as a unit. We were a lot more organized. There is a lot more excitement around the program."
PHS head coach Matt Becan was excited by how his team performed in the win over Hill. "It was a huge accomplishment," asserted Becan. "It was a great way to finish off the season. I told the girls after the loss to Mo-Beard that we wanted to see them respond. They really stepped up their game."
The Little Tigers produced a spirited attack in finally overcoming Hill. "The girls all know Hill, they know they have a tough goalie and some really good skaters," said Becan. "It came down to winning battles. We were able to get a lot of shots. We really wanted to try to exploit their goalie."
No Little Tiger exploited the Hill goalie more than senior star Vicki Chen, who ended her stellar PHS career with a four-goal effort. "Vicki is one of the backbones of the team," said Becan, who also got goals in the win from Katie Burke and Suzanne Hudis. "We have relied on Vicki to get us goals and get us pumped up."
But while Chen is a clear standout, the team's success this winter came down to balance. "We had such a well-rounded team this year," said Becan. "In the past we relied on a goalie or one great player. This year, we had so many good players."
The Little Tigers got valuable contributions up front from Mahon, her younger sister Dee Dee, and freshman star Blair Thompson. In the back, PHS was paced by defensemen Cami Mahon, Kristen Naylor, Rebecca Katz, and Melissa Diamond together with standout goalie Emily Schulte.
Becan also cited the team's attention to detail at practice as another important component underlying its record season.
"The girls did a good job of getting to practice and putting in a tremendous effort," said Becan, noting that the team typically practiced twice a week at 5:30 a.m. "The girls really had to have focus at that time of the morning to get the most out of the limited time we have on the ice."
A key motivator for PHS was joining MAPGHL, which has eight teams from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. "It really gave us something to play for," said Becan, referring to the league. "We've never been able to look at standings, we just had to focus on personal accomplishments. "It made the game against Hill so significant. The girls really wanted to come in second."
From Becan's vantage point, the program's future is bright. "We continue to grow, we continue to expand," said Becan, who welcomed ten freshmen into the program this season. "This year, we were one of the top teams in New Jersey as well as the region."
Mahon, for her part, believes the team has developed the right mindset to keep thriving. "We always say 'head, heart, and hustle,' when we break the huddle," said Mahon, who will be playing field hockey this fall at St. Francis University (Pa.). "We're using that to get better. You have to have a hustle for the sport. Even in practice, you have to keep going. There has to be a drive to play."
With the drive that PHS demonstrated this winter, the program should keep going in the right direction.
